Ash Log - Save?

lxskllr · May 18, 2019, 07:43:58 AM

Wasn't sure where to put this cause it doesn't exactly pertain to anything in particular... I'm gonna be removing an ash tree shortly. It's still alive, but dying, presumably from EAB. It still has some leaves, and is sending out suckers from the trunk. It's ~24"dbh, and I'll have ~16' of clear wood before it starts branching off. Is there anything I can personally do with the trunk? I don't mill, and I don't do wood working, but I'd be willing to give 'freehand milling' a try, or... something?

I'm asking cause I removed a bunch of maple this spring, and the sap gushed out. It only occurred to me afterward I could have tapped them to make a little syrup. It wouldn't have been enough for much of anything, but it would have been a fun project just to see how it all works. Figured I'd ask first before turning the ash into firewood. Any fun projects to be had?

Old Greenhorn · May 18, 2019, 08:00:49 AM

There is a lot you can do freehand with a chainsaw. Small coffee table, benches, you imagination is the limit.
Here are some benches I made about a year ago. These are red oak that had been dead and down for years. I only made them so I had a place to take a break from splitting wood. It is also a nice overlook and I can watch the deer in the swamp below. Have fun with it.

lxskllr · May 18, 2019, 08:08:02 AM

I've made a few of those benches around the farm. Got the idea from here, and maybe even from you. Boss' girlfriend saw one, and wanted me to make her a few. She still hasn't done anything with them. They're sitting in front of the garage :^/

Brad_bb · May 18, 2019, 12:04:49 PM

Ash is good wood to make just about anything with - furniture, handles, flooring, beams, projects. Is there any way to move the log(s)? Do you have a trailer and any way to load them on it? You could take them to a local sawyer and have boards or various thicknesses cut for projects. It really helps if you have a project in mind. EAB killed Ash does not affect the wood. They only eat the outer cambium layer under the bark, which is the growing layer. That's why it kills the tree, it severs the vessels that carry water and nutrients up the tree. Even dead Ash that has been standing dead for a couple years is usually still good.

lxskllr · May 18, 2019, 12:54:04 PM

I don't really do much with wood as far as woodworking goes, but ash is kind of nice, and a dwindling commodity. I have access to just about anything I want. I have storage on the farm, a trailer, and access to a sawyer that would probably do bespoke work for me very cheaply. Problem is if I squirreled away everything I thought was useful, half the county would be taken up with my stuff :^D

If it were locust or cedar, I'd definitely keep them. Boss can use both(I need to haul some locust out of the woods for him), and I particularly like cedar, from little scraps, to big pieces(would make great rustic benches). I'll give it some thought. I've just about settled on climbing it, and taking it down from the top. That'll give me some experience spur climbing deciduous trees, and reduce the chance of destroying some fence posts dropping the whole thing, though that isn't a big deal. I can then drop the spar with less chance of craziness happening, and decide then.

edit:
I like the idea of making handles. That's something I can use, and is approachable with the hand tools I own. What would be a good size to store for handle making stock?